Gardeners talk tomato growing methods

Published 5:19 pm Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Veteran Master Gardeners Judy English, Audreen Williams, Amanda Rosenberg and John Norgord will share tips for growing tomatoes at noon Thursday, March 26, in the county commissioners meeting room of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.

English will provide advice on selecting varieties best suited for growing on the Olympic Peninsula, preparing and managing the planting site and identifying common tomato disease. Williams and Rosenberg will illustrate various cultivation methods designed for maximizing the growing season demonstrated at the 5th Street Community and Woodcock Gardens last summer.

Norgord will provide a “how-to” guide for building a shelter to protect plants against fungal disease.

A Master Gardener since 2005, English has been raising heritage tomatoes on her hillside garden in Sequim for 12 years.

Williams, a 2012 graduate of the Master Gardener Program, is a passionate gardener with a particular focus on addressing the challenges of vegetable gardening in the maritime growing environment of Port Angeles.

A Master Gardener since 2008, Rosenberg has grown several varieties of tomatoes in her home garden both from saved seeds and transplanted starts during the past seven years.

Norgord has been a Master Gardener since 2008 and has grown tomatoes at home and at local Master Gardener demonstration gardens for seven years where he has participated in trials involving different tomato varieties, planting methods, site evaluations and grafting.

The March 26 presentation is part of the Green Thumb Gardening Tips brown bag educational series sponsored by the Clallam County WSU Master Gardeners.

The Green Thumb Gardening Tips series is presented on the second and fourth Thursday of the month at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St. in Part Angeles. It is free and open to the public, however donations are accepted to help cover copying costs for handouts. Attendees are invited to bring a lunch.

For more information, call 417-2279.